After deciding to study abroad in Japan, to properly understand the nation's modern culture and customs, Stella had once dragged him along to watch a large number of Japanese documentaries and media.
It was also during that confusing period of research that this sheltered princess learned a whole bunch of internet-specific knowledge, both good and incredibly bad!
...
Nighttime in the dormitory.
Stella hugged her soft pillow, carefully examining the two colorful movie tickets placed by her bedside table.
'That little sister from earlier today was really bold.'
'In front of so many gossiping people, she kissed her own brother without hesitation.'
'And after that, she even kissed him two more times!'
The key point was, after hearing that she, Noah, and Ikki were "friends," Shizuku had kindly given her two expensive movie tickets.
The screening date is tomorrow, on their day off.
'Noah doesn't know about this yet.'
'Thinking about it carefully, isn't going to the movies with a boy exactly what Japanese romance comics often refer to as a da-da-da-date...?!'
Noah was taking a hot shower in the bathroom.
Suddenly, he sensed someone nervously approaching the door. Or rather, he could directly sense Stella's magical signature pacing outside.
Then he heard the girl outside the door say.
"Hey, Noah... today that girl from the Kurogane family gave me two movie tickets. The screening is tomorrow afternoon. I am quite interested in commoners' entertainment! You probably haven't been to the modern movies either, right? How about we go together?!"
The two of them were together every single day.
So Stella was absolutely certain that Noah hadn't been to a movie theater even once in at least the past two years!
As far as casual invitations go, this reason was perfectly justified!
He shouldn't have any reason to refuse!
"The movies?"
Noah was washing the shampoo out of his hair at the moment.
Hearing Stella's muffled words over the running water, he hesitated briefly before replying.
"Sure. Since we have the day off tomorrow anyway, it would be good to go down to the city at the foot of the mountain and familiarize ourselves with the surrounding area."
"Really?!"
"It is not like I would lie about something like this..."
"Ah, no, I get it! Take your time washing up! Take your time—oh!"
Stella broke into a massive, triumphant smile. She walked to the wardrobe and swung the heavy wooden doors open. She picked up a beautiful, highly expensive pale yellow dress and held it up to herself in the mirror.
"Too formal."
After a moment of hesitation, she put the royal dress back in the wardrobe and took out a casual white top paired with a cute short skirt.
One outfit after another.
After frantically trying on several sets of clothes, the girl eventually felt that none of them were quite good enough for tomorrow.
At that moment, Noah finished his shower and stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel.
Seeing Stella standing in front of the full-length mirror in a daze, he casually asked, "Stella, what's wrong?"
"Huh? N-Nothing! It is just that I feel like recently... I have gained a little weight. Huh?"
Noah narrowed his eyes slightly, observing her figure, then said, "Don't worry, Stella. Girls with a bit of meat are treasures. Although you have indeed gained exactly 0.26 kilograms compared to three days ago, with your A-Rank metabolism, that extra fat will soon safely go exactly where it's supposed to."
"..."
'Calling me a treasure might be a bit too exaggerated, Hehehe.'
'But wait... why did I gain exactly 0.26 kilograms?!'
'Even though I had already strictly cut out dessert after meals, why did I still gain weight?!'
"You weren't just thinking about why you gained weight even though you stopped eating sweets, were you?" Noah asked knowingly.
"W-Wait, how did you know?! Did I say it out loud?!"
"No, I just figured you were probably thinking about something like that. I could pretty much guess it from your panicked expression," Noah sighed helplessly.
Rather than saying he magically guessed it, it was more that this princess's inner thoughts were just too easy to read on her face.
"Ahhhhh! So why is that?!"
Noah sighed deeply. "So, you are planning to selectively forget about the undeniable fact that you make me cook you heavy midnight snacks every single night?"
Hearing this, the girl immediately retorted defensively, "But I used to eat midnight snacks in the palace before too, there is no helping it! If I'm hungry, I cannot sleep—that's just my active constitution!"
"Spicy crayfish, roast duck, heavy beef hotpot... everything you have been craving lately is way too high in fat and calories! It's only natural you would gain weight!"
"How could that be!"
'Hmm... Wait a minute... hold on!'
"If you put it that way... then isn't my weight gain entirely your fault?!" Stella accused, pointing a finger at him.
Noah stared at her.
"????"
"It is because your cooking is so delicious that I keep eating more and more, getting fatter and fatter!"
"Oh, is that so?" Noah deadpanned. "Then starting tomorrow, we will stop cooking in the dorm."
"Huh?"
"What's wrong? Got any issues? That way you won't gain weight, right?"
"Yes! Yes there is! How could there not be?!"
"Whats the issue?"
"..."
Stella looked utterly wronged!
"You clearly just said girls with a bit of meat are better and that girls with a bit of meat are treasures! Didn't you say all that?!"
"Hmph!"
Stella snorted coldly, jumped onto her bunk bed in one swift motion and pulled the heavy covers entirely over herself.
...
The next day.
Noah and Stella woke up early, completed their morning swordsmanship sparring and then returned to the dormitory to shower and change clothes.
After washing up, Stella came out of the bathroom and Noah was briefly stunned when he saw her.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Stella lowered her head, nervously fiddling with the ends of her hair, while secretly glancing at the boy to gauge his reaction.
Today, she was wearing a cute pink shirt and a beige jacket.
A red skirt paired with a stylish corset accentuated her incredible figure to the extreme, perfectly complemented by a delicate crossbody bag.
More importantly, she had deliberately let her long crimson hair down today and put on a cute white beret.
Both highly elegant and adorable and very different from her usual knightly vibe.
"Stella?"
"Hmm—what's wrong?"
"Nothing, just... you look really beautiful today."
"Th-Thank you."
'Hehehe, success!'
The girl clenched her fist secretly by her side, feeling quite pleased with her fashion choices.
The two set off from the school grounds, taking the public bus together down the mountain to the city center.
The streets here were clean and well-paved, lined with beautiful, modern shops everywhere.
However, there weren't many people around on a Sunday morning.
That is just how suburban cities are.
Arriving at the massive target mall, Stella asked, "I wonder if we will run into that brother and sister pair. I heard the girl say she would invite her brother here for a date too—maybe we will bump into them."
"A date?"
'Oops! I slipped up!'
"Ah, no! I mean... that, um..."
"They are siblings, right? Calling it a date might not be accurate," Noah mused. "Something like what you and I are doing right now is much more like a date, isn't it?"
'Wh-What?'
The girl froze in her tracks.
She stared blankly at Noah's back, who looked completely unfazed, wondering if she had misheard him.
Noah took a couple of steps forward, noticing that the girl had disappeared from the corner of his eye, and turned back to ask.
"What's wrong, Stella? Do you need a break?"
It was a foolish question.
Stella, with her B-Rank stamina, couldn't possibly be tired from just walking around a mall.
The boy realized this and felt a bit awkward.
"Hey, Noah... do you think we are on a date?" Stella whispered, her face burning.
Noah replied matter-of-factly, "Of course. What else would this be?"
'So, he actually sees me as a girl.'
Stella felt her heart rate change, a massive tightness blooming in her chest, yet it wasn't unpleasant at all!
She adjusted her clothes, then with a flushed face, she proactively extended her left hand toward him.
Seeing this, Noah stepped forward and firmly grasped her small hand in his.
"The movie is about to start. Shall we go in?"
"Y-Yes."
Stella suddenly became as obedient and quiet as a small animal, which Noah found quite novel.
He held the girl's hand, not letting go even as they entered the dark cinema and took their plush seats.
Neither said a word, quietly waiting for the movie to begin.
Noah casually glanced around slightly but didn't spot the Kurogane siblings in the theater.
'Are they late? Or did they just not come?'
BANG!
The heavy cinema doors were violently kicked open.
At the exact same time, a deafening burst of automatic gunfire echoed from the projection room, instantly silencing the entire chatting theater.
Stella frowned, about to stand up and summon her Device, but Noah firmly held her down.
The next second, Noah pulled her directly into his arms, rolling them both down into the narrow dark space beneath the seats.
Immediately after, a rapid barrage of gunfire erupted throughout the theater.
A terrifying series of muzzle flashes, accompanied by the wet sound of splattering blood and screaming civilians, swept directly over their heads.
Holding Stella tightly against his chest, Noah and the girl could feel each other's rapid breaths.
Unfortunately, now wasn't the time for romance!
Someone shouted aggressively from the front row, "All survivors, get out of your seats now! Gather on the first floor lobby! No funny business, or we will kill everyone in this building!"
Hearing the threat, both knights knew this was no joke.
The masked attackers had military-grade guns, which wasn't much of a threat to Blazers like them, but there were dozens of other, highly vulnerable ordinary people trapped here.
And without the school's emergency permission, they couldn't legally use their device in public.
"Is this... a terrorist attack?" Stella whispered into his shoulder. "What do we do, Noah?"
The boy's eyes flickered with calculation and he actually lay his body directly on top of hers to shield her.
Stella immediately felt extremely embarrassed by the intimate contact, her whole body restless, but she heard Noah whisper sharply.
"Don't move, Stella. Pretend to be knocked out."
'Even if you say that, in this incredibly tight position... I couldn't possibly stay calm!'
"There are more people hiding back here!"
At that moment, a gun-wielding terrorist spotted their legs sticking out from under the row.
Looking at their unmoving "corpses," he lightly licked his lips under his mask, then aimed his automatic rifle down at them and fired wildly.
He only stopped when the heavy magazine was completely empty.
He wouldn't bother checking their pulses up close—since they already had enough living hostages downstairs, whether these two lived or died didn't matter to his cause.